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Welcome to Twitter Support!
Submitted Jan 14 in Getting Started
We're here to help
Welcome to Twitter Support. The Twitter support team is here to help you solve your problems and find answers to your questions. Who are we? Caroline, Mark, Del, and Crystal- follow us on Twitter, we're here to help!
Using Help Resources
Twitter's help resources are always accessible in the sidebar of your Support home page. We've got the basics but we're adding more! If there is something you'd like to see that's not here yet, log in and submit a feature request! We'd love to hear your feedback about making help as helpful as possible.
- Getting Started New to Twitter? Check out our Getting Started articles to get a feel for the basics.
- How-To Information If you're not sure how to do something, find it here! If you can't find it, try using the search box.
- Trouble Shooting Check out common problems, and how to resolve them
- Terms of Service and Rules and Policies Use our Rules and Policies section to learn about what Twitter does about Spam, Impersonation, Trademark, Copyright and other Terms of Service or Rules violations, and find out what you need to do to resolve a violation.
- Get Satisfaction: to get help from other people who use Twitter, use the Get Satisfaction widget in the sidebar to get help from other people who use Twitter.
Coming soon: Known Issues You'll be able to check the status of known or ongoing Twitter issues
What's New?
All in one help: Before, our help resources were all over the place. Now, they're all in one place. Use search to find what you need, or browse our help articles. Find out about known problems, how to report problems, submit and check on requests, all from your Support home page. Just enter your Twitter user name and password to get started!
Important Announcements: When you click Help from the Twitter website, you'll be taken to your Twitter Support home page. The home page will always have the latest announcements and updates from the Support team.
Ticket Accessibility and History: Twitter's new Support home gives you access to your requests in one place. You can submit a new request, check on existing requests, and even see closed requests. All of your support requests are linked to your Twitter account, so we have a working account history for every person who has submitted a request for help. This means we always know what's going on with your account, and you only need to submit one request for help.
Support Groups: Twitter Support is divided into groups to resolve requests as quickly as possible. Our Terms of Service, Spam group, and Support groups provide specialized support for each category of requests to give you fast answers when you need them.
Twitter Terms of Service and Rules Policies: To clear up confusion about what's ok and not ok on Twitter, we've introduced the Twitter Rules. Finding out what to do in cases of Terms of Service or Spam violations just got easier. Check it out!
Why is my account suspended?
Submitted Nov 13, 2008 in Trouble Shooting
Twitter suspends account for suspicious activity. Suspended accounts are researched by our Spam/Abuse or Support team. One or more of these things may cause an account to be suspended:
Technical abuse of the Twitter Service
- unauthorized scripting of the site
- unauthorized serial account creation
- unauthorized mass account creation
Spam investigation
Publishing, posting or sending unsolicited email, junk mail, “spam”, chain letters, promotions, or advertisements for products or services (except where expressly permitted) is against the Terms of Service. Commercial or promotional use of Twitter is allowed, and we do welcome feed-based accounts. Many companies create valuable, opt-in relationships with people on Twitter. It's important to us, however, that the Twitter community receives only the content they'd like to receive. The following behaviors may cause an account to get flagged for spam investigation and/or suspension:
- user name squatting
- account contains links pointing to phishing sites, malware, or other harmful material
- an account is identified as belonging to a group of spam accounts
- a large number of people block the profile in question
- a large number of people write in with spam complaints for a specific profile
- aggressive following (a large number of people are followed in a short amount of time)
- extremely imbalanced follower/following ratio
- updates consist of duplicate or repeating links and/or text
- updates consist mainly of links and not personal updates
- links in updates disguise the real content of a link given in a misleading or deceptive way.
- unauthorized "re-tweets" (poaching and posting other users' updates) passed off as original content*
If one or more the items listed above is true for any Twitter profile, we may suspend the account for abuse investigation and hide the contents from the public view in order to remove the cause of complaint. If you think you've been wrongly suspended, please send an email to [email protected] with the user name and reason why the account shouldn't be suspended.
Terms of Service violations
As stated in the Terms of Service, Twitter reserves the right to immediately terminate accounts without further notice if the account is in violation of the Terms of Service. If your account is suspended however, we're most likely researching an issue with the account. If this is the case, you'll most likely have heard from our Support team. The following problems fall under Terms of Service violations:
- Copyright Infringement (To file a complaint, see our copyright infringement procedure here.)
- Impersonation
- Violence and/or specific threats
- Unlawful use
- Privacy infringement
- Trademark Infringement
Send all non-copyright Terms of Service complaints to [email protected].
Contact [email protected] for questions or complaints regarding the Terms of Service. Contact [email protected] if your account has been suspended.
Find people on Twitter
Submitted Nov 06, 2008 in Getting Started
Find your friends and make some new ones
Twitter is more fun with friends. Now that you're twittering, find new friends or follow people you already know to get their twitter updates too. You can find your friends using people search, Twitter search, address book import, or URL look up.
Find People by name
Use Twitter's people search to find people who currently use Twitter. Search for a first, last, or user name as a starting point, and see what comes up. We use the full name as well as the user name fields to give you as many relevant results as possible.
To use people search, click on the 'Find People' link in the top navigation bar, and select the 'Find on Twitter' tab. If you don't find who you're looking for, dig deeper using some of the options suggested in the sidebar.
Find people using keywords, location, interests, and more!
A tiny, hidden gem lies in Twitter's footer navigation bar: Twitter Search! Twitter search is an incredible tool that allows you to find virtually anything and anyone by adding the ability to search for key words, locations, phrases, and more! Type in any word and you're guaranteed to get real time results.
- Want to know what people think of a new movie? Try searching for it.
- Search for any phrase ('I dreamt' is an interesting one)
- Want to know what people are saying about your company? Try a keyword search.
- Wondering who sends tweets from your area? Try searching for 'location:cityname' to see a list of people who are from that city.
The results you get from Twitter show what people are saying and doing right now!
You can translate foreign language updates into English, filter by language, post a Twitter update linking to interesting search results, and even subscribe to search results (this is like tracking keywords, but on the web!)
We also keep track of the most popular topics, called "trending topics" so you'll always know what people are excited about.
But that's not all: check out Advanced Search to do some truly amazing things, like find people within 15 miles of a given location, find updates by positive or negative connotation, find updates to a certain person or from a certain person, or even updates within a specified time period.
Find people on other networks
We can check a list of your contacts to see if any of them are currently using Twitter. You can check address books from Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, MSN, and AOL. (We'll support more networks in the future!) We'll show you who is on Twitter and you can choose to follow them if you want to get their Twitter updates.
To import an address book, visit the Find People link. The tab is already selected for you, just type in your email address and password. Note: Twitter doesn't save your email log in information, we only use it once to get permission to view your contacts list.
Twitter, Help!
Did something go wrong? Let us know!
The Official Twitter Text Commands
Submitted Nov 06, 2008 in Getting Started
The Official Twitter Commands
Did you know: you can perform certain actions, like following or marking a friend's update as a favorite, by using the designated Twitter commands? Use the commands listed below from your phone, the web update box, or your favorite third party application.
Turning Twitter off and on: device notifications
-
ON: turns ALL phone notifications on.
- OFF: turns ALL phone notifications off.
- STOP, QUIT: stops all messages to your phone immediately
- ON username: turns on notifications for a specific person on your phone. For example, ON alissa.
- OFF username: turns off notifications for a specific person on your phone. For example, OFF blaine.
- FOLLOW username: this command allows you to start receiving notifications for a specific person on your phone. Example: follow jeremy
-
LEAVE username: this command allows you to stop receiving notifications for a specific person on your phone. Example: leave benfu
Fun Stuff: friends, favorites, and stats!
- @username + message
directs a twitter at another person, and causes your twitter to save in their "replies" tab. - D username + message
sends a person a private message that goes to their device, and saves in their web archive. - WHOIS username
retrieves the profile information for any public user on Twitter. - GET username
retrieves the latest Twitter update posted by the person. - NUDGE username
reminds a friend to update by asking what they're doing on your behalf. - FAV username
marks a person's last twitter as a favorite. (hint: reply to any update
with FAV to mark it as a favorite if you're receiving it in real time)
Example: @meangrape I love that song too!
Example: d krissy want to pick a Jamba Juice for me while you're there?
Example: whois jack
Example: get goldman
Example: nudge biz
Example: fav al3x
- STATS this command returns your number of followers, how many people you're following, and which words you're tracking.
- INVITE phone number
will send an SMS invite to a friend's mobile phone.
Example: Invite 415 555 1212
Noteworthy Facts
- using on/off username from your phone only stops notifications to the place the command comes from; you'll still collect a person's updates on the web.
- using follow/leave username from your phone is the same as using on/off username
- following someone from a phone for the first time will also cause you to follow them on the web
- there is no way to stop following a person on the web without visiting their profile and removing them. The off, leave, stop, and quit commands will only disable updates for the device(s) from which they were sent.
- you don't have to use ON/OFF username from the phone, you can also set individual notifcations from a person's profile page, or check your following page and manage all phone notification settings there.
Questions? Ask us!
Twitter Phone FAQ
Submitted Nov 06, 2008 in Getting Started
Using Twitter with your phone
Twitter is a new kind of technology that uses multiple methods of communication to help keep you in touch with people you care about. Using Twitter with your phone will change the feel of Twitter for you. Not only can you receive text messages when people you've specified update, you can also send updates to Twitter while you're on the go, even if you don't receive messages from others. These are some of the most frequently asked questions about using Twitter with your mobile phone.
Do I have to use my phone to use Twitter?
Nope. You can send twitter updates from the Twitter website or from our mobile website, m.twitter.com. You can also check out the apps page to see other popular ways people use Twitter.
Text Messages? Sounds expensive. How much will Twitter cost me?
Twitter charges you nothing, but how much it costs to use Twitter with text messaging depends on your text messaging plan. Standard text messaging rates (such as international text messaging fees) do apply. Consult your service provider to ensure that your text plan covers your Twitter usage. If you're using our international number, give your provider the Twitter phone number you'll be using to see if you'll incur extra charges. If you're using Twitter from outside of the US, please consult your carrier, as every provider has a different policy.
When I give you my number, you wont charge my phone bill?
No. Twitter doesn't charge your phone bill. Sending and receiving messages to Twitter is like sending to a regular number. Usage charges for text messaging are applied by your carrier and depend on your SMS plan. Some people pay a per-message charge of ten cents or more. Some people have an allotted number of text messages monthly. Some (lucky!) people have unlimited text plans. We must caution: Twitter can become highly addictive, so make sure that your texting habits and your text plan are compatible.
How does Twitter use my phone number?
Think of Twitter as a single contact who sends all of the messages from your friends. Twitter uses your number to send web updates to your phone in text message format. Your number is private; Twitter never reveals phone number information.
What are the Twitter phone numbers?
We currently have two short codes and three long codes for those who twitter internationally.
- In the US, use 40404.
- In Canada, use 21212.
- In Sweden, use: +46 737 494222
- In Germany, use +49 17 6888 50505
- Anywhere else, use +44 7624 801423
For all people using international numbers: once your phone is verified, you'll be able to send your updates to Twitter, but you will not be able to receive text updates from Twitter. Find out more on the Twitter Blog.
What is a short code?
Short codes are numbers made specifically for SMS (text) messages. Twitter uses various short codes to send and receive your updates. Sending a text message to a short code is just like sending a text message to a phone number. Short codes are made specifically for text messaging, so you can't send an email to a short code, or call a short code. Charges for using our short codes are the same as standard text messaging rates to full-length phone numbers. Long codes are also text only, but they're the length of a standard phone number instead of being shortened.
What is Twitter's international number?
If you're not in the US, Canada, Germany, or Sweden use the international long code instead: +44 7624 801423. If you're using this number you will be able to send messages to Twitter, but you will not be able to receive them.
A word of caution for those using the international number: some carriers don't charge an international fee to use the Twitter international number. Others consider it an international number and charge from .15 to .25 per message, even within the UK. Remember to check your phone plan for international rates; be aware that even in the UK, standard messaging rates vary by carrier, and do apply.
How do I add my phone to Twitter?
Add your phone to your account in your Twitter settings. Once you've added your phone to Twitter, just send the verification code in a text message to the Twitter phone number assigned to you in your settings page. Once your phone is verified, send Twitter a text message and we'll post it to your profile page and send it to your followers. (Find out more cool things you can do with your phone here!)
How do I add my international number?
Twitter accesses international numbers from the US. This means that it's important to include '+' and your country code with your complete number in order for us to recognize it properly. Our international number is a good example; it's formatted like this: +44 7624 801423. Note: when adding a country code to your number in some countries, you must drop the leading zero.
Can I use the same phone number on multiple accounts?
No. You can only use one phone number for one account.
If I change my phone number, can I change it on Twitter?
Yes. To add a new number, just delete your current number from the settings page, and add your new number. (You'll need to verify your new phone number before using it.)
How long can my updates be?
We have a 140 character limit on Twitter updates. If your update is longer than that, the full update will post to the web where it can be viewed in its entirety. We'll still send the truncated version: only the first 140 characters will go to phones.
How do I send direct messages from my phone?
Send a direct message to anyone on Twitter using the direct message comman, d + username, like this: d krissy message goes here
Make sure to use the user name (found in the profile URL) and not the real name, or it will post to the public timeline, or go to someone else!
Can I update Twitter from my phone but not receive other people's updates?
Yes. As long as you've verified your phone, you can send updates to Twitter even if all notifications are off. Make sure to set your updates to OFF on the web, or send OFF from your phone. People using +44 7624 801423 will always be able to send messages, but will not be able to receive them.
Can I turn updates on for some people and off for others?
Yes. Set up text preferences for people you follow from the drop down 'following' box on the profile page.
How do I turn a specific person's updates on or off from my phone?
To get a person's updates on your phone, use the commands FOLLOW or ON + username, like this: follow caroline, on caroline
To turn updates off again, send LEAVE or OFF + username, like this. leave crystal, off crystal
You can change notification preferences from the profile pages of everyone you follow.
How do I know if my friends are getting my updates on their phones?
You don't. But, if they are on your followers list, they will always receive your updates on the web.
How do I turn ALL twitter messages off or on from my phone?
To stop getting Twitter updates, send OFF, STOP, or QUIT from your phone at anytime. We will send you a final message confirming that your phone notifications are off. Sending ON will turn them back on.
Is there a setting for receiving only @replies on my phone?
Nope. But if we get enough feature requests, we may just add it for you. Send us one!
Is there a setting for receiving only direct messages on my phone?
Yep! You can set this up in your device settings page. When you send OFF once, Twitter messages will turn off but direct messages will be on. When you send OFF twice, everything will be off. You can also set up email preferences for direct message notifications.
If I turn Twitter off, will I still get Direct Messages?
Yes. You will receive direct messages if you send OFF only once; to disable direct messages, send OFF twice or change the settings in the device settings page. You will always receive a copy of your message on your web archive, and in your email if you set it up in your preferences.
What's a Nudge?
A nudge is a friendly reminder to update Twitter. Friends can nudge you (and you them) by sending nudge + username to Twitter, like this: nudge mhegge
Can I favorite updates from my phone?
Yes. if you receive an update that you'd like to mark as favorite, reply to the update with FAV + username, like this: fav delbius
I'm getting a lot of updates. How can I get fewer?
Stop getting updates from some friends without stopping all updates from all friends. The easiest way to do this is to change text preferences on the web from the person's profile page. You can also use the leave or OFF command. Text OFF + username or LEAVE + username to stop getting messages from a specific person, like this: leave bs
Make sure you're using the username, and not just the screen name. (Find the user name by going to the person's profile and looking in the URL at top.)